Electro-surgical forceps have a pair of resilient blades that are used for grasping and coagulating tissue. The blades may be held together by molding their ends opposite the tips within a cap. The forceps may be monopolar or bipolar. In monopolar forceps, the blades are welded or otherwise joined to form an electrode in electrical communication with an electrical generator. Current flows from the active electrode through the patient's tissue to a dispersive electrode in contact with the patient's skin (which may be at some distance from the forceps) and back to the generator. In bipolar forceps, each blade of the pair comprises an electrode in communication with an electrical generator.
In some forceps, an irrigation channel is formed along the length of one of the blades. See FIG. 5. The channel is typically formed from a length of metal tubing which is attached to the inside surface of the blade in a suitable manner, such as with an adhesive, brazing, or welding. The tubing includes an outlet near the tip of the blades and an entrance segment that is affixed within the cap. An inlet is provided at the beginning of the entrance segment. An irrigation fluid, such as saline solution, flows through the channel and out the outlet near the tip of the blades to flush bits of tissue or blood away from the area where the surgeon is working.